An update from Anneli

Good Morning to all of you-

I think you all know that Jack received his PEG shots yesterday, which he handled VERY well. The magic EMLA cream (numbing agent) does wonders. Jack has also discovered that after any pain there is gain in the play room for quite some time. After the PEG shots the medical staff keeps him under observation for at least two hours should there be a reaction towards the chemo, so there was a lot of playtime.

When Jack visits the Valerie Fund, we always find out what his ANC is. His counts dropped from 4600 last Thursday to 1073, which is expected as the chemo kills both good and bad cells. However, since his count is hovering around 1,000 (and expected to drop from the PEG shots), his immune system is compromised. Since he is at risk of an infection (which would result in hospitalization), his group play options are limited. He can't "host" or attend a play date, but can meet up for picnics in the park. Thank goodness the forecast is for a beautiful, sunny week!

All the best,
Anneli

No one likes needles

You all know how much a flu shot hurts...magnify that ten times, and picture getting it twice. Ouch, right? Well, Jack is headed back to the Valerie Center this morning for his Day 15 of Interim Maintenance PEG shots. These are shots of Peg-L-Asparaginase directly into Jack's leg muscles. It is a heavy dose of chemo that starves cancer cells of the amino acid asparagine. Without asparagine, the cancer cells die. The benefit of the shots is pretty clear, but that doesn't make getting them any easier. So please keep Jack (and Damond!) in your thoughts today!